Scholarships available for best student videos

Share this:

The Districts Make a Difference 2018 Student Video Contest for high school and college students challenges would-be filmmakers to produce a 60-second video that tells the story of a special district or districts in their community.

The goal of each video is to increase public awareness and understanding of California’s special districts and the services they provide.

Entries may be submitted between Aug. 27 and Sept. 30. Finalists will be announced Nov. 1, and winners announced in December.

The competition gives entrants an opportunity to practice film-making with the potential to win a $2,000 scholarship while learning about perhaps the most enigmatic arm of local government – often unsung special districts that provide a wide range of specialized, focused services throughout California.

Contestants may choose to tell the story of a local sewer and sanitation district, fire or public safety district, water district or even a cemetery or park district. Contestants may work alone or in a team effort.

Some may zoom their cameras in on something as specific as a mosquito abatement, airport, or healthcare districts. Others may choose to explore a complement of special districts that work together and provide a network of essential, specialized services to their community.

The video contest is organized by Districts Make the Difference, the public outreach campaign launched by the California Special Districts Association to highlight the important work of the almost 2,000 special districts in California.

“This contest is one of our favorite programs each year,” said Neil McCormick, CEO of CSDA. “It provides students with the opportunity to learn about districts, show off their artistic talents, and express those talents in a way that helps educate the public – and perhaps win a scholarship in the process.”

Entries will be judged using four criteria: Accuracy and effectiveness, creativity and originality, production quality and entertainment value. Last year, videos were submitted from all over the state.

Once submitted, a panel of CSDA officials will select five finalist videos, which will go through a month-long period of public voting to determine the winners. First, second and third place scholarships will be awarded.

For more information about the contest and review the application and rules, visit http://districtsmakethedifference.org/video-contest.